Wander was born in 1991 and qualified by the FPS for breeding in 1996. He served numerous mares in North America and abroad and we hope it will be decided that he made a very positive contribution to our breed. He is the sire of one approved stallion, Doiatzen 420 and a number of approved grandsons. For many years, the family owners of Wander offspring have delighted in his "children" and shared their numerous accomplishments and exploits with us. We know they will bring you much joy in years to come.
Wander 352 was the first North American bred stallion to have frozen semen sent to Europe for breeding and the first North American stallion to be approved internationally on offspring based on his "kids" being able to participate in the newly organized offspring training in the Netherlands. This was made possible because we had sent the frozen semen to Holland even prior to the change in protocol for offspring testing.
The story of how he became a qualified stallion is well known. We bought his dam sight unseen from a broker in the Netherlands when there were only 400 or so Friesians in North America. We bred her to the only approved stallion, Barteld, compatible with her "common" bloodlines (Djurre x Mark) and our very first foal, Zorro, became Wander 352.
As many of you know, Wander has graced the photographic artwork of Gabriele Boiselle for a number of years and has also taken his turn in the movie, "Bedazzled." He has been a part of numerous FHANA sponsored exhibitions in Southern California and Reno, has competed in halter and under saddle during the keurings at Pomona and a winner in a number of parades as well. But most of all and most important, he has been my dear friend and a joy to have for 23 years. I have enjoyed hundreds of hours with him on the Norco trails and laughed as he would snort, prance and challenge the iron statue of a rearing horse in front of a local church as we rode by. He really wanted a piece of that horse! He is truly an "old soul" and I swear he had an amazing sense of humor. He was king of our farm and no other horse could come or go off the property without his attention and supervision.
Our local team here at Checkerboard Farms — Tammy Delight, his trainer from birth and my best friend, our friends Jonelle, Kim, Hanah and many others, and our veterinarians, Bill Swyers, Bryn Moser and Kathy Lynde, are all in mourning with me and we will have him in our memories forever. Fortunately, we do have daughters and grandchildren and, thank goodness, some well saved frozen semen.
Again, we are very sorry to have to bring you this sad news, but we are hoping you will also allow all your memories and your appreciation of his offspring and other accomplishments to make you proud of this North American native son. We know many of you loved him as we have and know that we always appreciated your validation and support.
In times like this, if any of you wish to reach out, as much as I love flowers, I would really like you to consider a small (or larger) donation to the Fenway Foundation. We would like to support their continued efforts to provide education, rescue and research to protect and preserve this amazing Friesian horse.
I cannot think about Wander and his accomplishments without taking a moment to also remember my very dear friend, Jan Engelsma who passed away two years ago next month. Jan was one of the original judges to "discover" Zorro/Wander at the local keuring in 1995 and has followed and appreciated Wander’s career from that time on. He, along with his brother, Klaas, were a part of "Team Wander" in negotiating the logistics and politics of having the first North American stallion present offspring for the testing in the Netherlands. It’s truly my hope that Wander and Jan find each other and at some point when it’s my time, I hope there will be a farm full of horses and many fun trails just waiting for the rest of the team!
Nina C. Miller and Team Wander of Checkerboard Farms
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